Pain

On January 23, 2024, Heron Therapeutics announced the FDA had approved its sNDA for bupivacaine and meloxicam extended-release solution to expand the indication to include soft tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures, including procedures in which direct exposure to articular cartilage is avoided.

The FDA has extended the shelf-life of 4 mg naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray (Narcan) for nonprescription over-the-counter use from 3 years to 4 years.

Despite commonly understood symptoms and efficacious treatments, the stigmatizing nature of gout has caused significant setbacks to curbing its impact on Americans.

At the 48-hour mark, the mean difference between high-dose VX-548 and placebo was 37.8 in the abdominoplasty group and 36.8 in the bunionectomy group, thus demonstrating the drug's pain relief potential.

RiVive is the second nonprescription naloxone product approved by the FDA, signaling a proactive effort to increase accessibility and consumer availability of life-saving medication.

Most (73%) patients surveyed expressed they sought to completely stop or never start using opioids for their chronic pain.

The median central sensitization, frequency of neuropathic pain, and frequency of fibromyalgia diagnosis were higher in patients with axSpA when compared with controls.

Of the randomized controlled trials identified, only 41% involved patients with depression.

Themes regarding improvement experience, developing strategies for better health, and contextual factors supporting improvement were reported during the interview analysis.

The yoga-based, mind-body intervention was effective for most patients with chronic pain, with the largest effects demonstrated in areas of pain self-efficacy, pain intensity, quality of life, and most severe perceived pain.

At the 12-month mark, opioid discontinuation occurred in 29% of patients in the intervention cohort compared with only 7% in the usual care group.

Buprenorphine is available either in a weekly injection formulation and a monthly formulation for patients already being treated with buprenorphine.

The approval was based on data from a pharmacodynamic study which showed nalmefene provided a fast onset of reversal of respiratory depression from the synthetic opioid remifentanil.

An analysis of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink provides an overview of trends and prevalence of long-term opioid use among patients with 1 of 6 rheumatic or musculoskeletal diseases using 3 definitions of long-term opioid use.

New CDC data show high-impact chronic pain has been decreasing since 2016, though the issue continues to disparately impact certain populations.

The approval, which is for 4 mg naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, marks the first OTC, nonprescription approval for a naloxone nasal spray and allows the product to be sold directly to consumers in a variety of retail locations well as online.

The comparative safety and effectiveness of analgesic medications for acute non-specific low back pain are unclear, highlighting the need for higher quality randomized controlled trials comparing different medications.

Electroacupuncture also resulted in a greater relief for the majority of OIC symptoms and improved the quality of life for this patient population and had no effects on cancer pain and its opioid treatment dosage.

An international review of data show certain antidepressants may benefit conditions like fibromyalgia, but many trials are actually inconclusive.

Abbott's Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation system allows patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy to improve quality of life using a system that is easily incorporated into their everyday lives.

“The fact that patients report substituting cannabis for pain medications so much underscores the need for research on the benefits and risk of using cannabis for chronic pain,” investigators stated.

Based on the identified biomarkers, it was possible to distinguish patients with a good predictive value for pain, sleep, and anxiety.

A cohort study aimed to examine the risk of overdose when treating patients with benzodiazepines compared with alternative therapies for sleep disorders, specifically in young people.

Neither intervention group demonstrated any significant improvements in intensity of chronic breathlessness after taking regular, low-dose, extended-release morphine.

After undergoing arthroscopic knee or shoulder surgery, patients treated with an opioid-sparing postoperative pain management protocol had reduced opioid use compared with standard treatment.

Dr. Craig Granowitz of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals details the success of the LX9211 clinical trial for painful diabetic neuropathy and the unique study design.

LX9211 is a potent, orally delivered, selective small molecule inhibitor of adaptor-associated kinase 1 (AAK1).

CDC investigators stated that the expansion of telehealth strategies is “urgently needed” to provide medications for opioid use disorder because it could increase retention in care and improve outcomes for OUD.

A recent study developed framework to improve fall prevention methodology across the country’s primary health care system.

Reductions in prescribed benzodiazepines were especially noted in continuing prescriptions.